My Sunday Best {11}

Happy Feast of Christ the King! I don't know about you but I'm glad that Advent won't start for another week (same as the year Audrey was born!). I like having space after Thanksgiving to prepare (...for the season of preparation).

Today I was SO excited to find battery operated candlesticks at Aldi for our windows. My mom gave me some a couple of years ago that were amazing- they lasted for months on the same set of batteries and once you turn them on they stay on for eight hours and will turn on the same time every evening. I needed a couple more and the ones at Aldi seem to be very similar and were only $4 for two! Woot! Our outdoor decorating for Christmas is "minimalist-lazy", so window candles really fit the bill.

Linking up with Rosie; here's what I wore to mass:

Pardon the dirty mirror- Cora loves to scamper into my closet and smear her hands all over it, so cleaning is futile.

The shoes and cardigan are both years-old from Gap & Loft and the dress is this one I mentioned I recently ordered from Amazon. It comes with a wide sash/ belt of the same material that buttons in the back but we were pressed for time so I left it off today. I also ordered a petticoat to wear underneath for dressier occasions. :)

Hope you had a restful Thanksgiving break!

Toddlers: A Mother's Helper

If anyone needs accountability when it comes to cleaning up the table after meals, might I suggest soliciting the help of a toddler? They often volunteer without asking and as an added bonus they will *not* utter a nagging word.

 Quietly and courteously they will show you the work you've left undone, by un-grudgingly licking that deserted dessert plate or making sure every spoonful of the leftover bowl of yogurt is...no longer in the bowl. (They might even endearingly use their yogurt covered hands to grab the kitchen towel and smear/wipe their mouth- how helpful! You've probably been meaning to wash it, anyway.)

Soon enough you will shoot out of your chair like a rocket to clear every last remaining item on the table and your days of post-meal clean-up procrastination will be over. 

Next order of business: the toddler will help remind you to always keep the bathroom door shut and your beauty products our of reach.

My Getting Dressed Two Pence

Almost Nine years ago I flew from California to Virginia for my Grandpa's funeral. It was January so I brought along my coat I had bought the previous year- it was a lovely long, off-white, belted coat that I had shelled out $$$ for because disposable income and because I wanted something of good quality.

Well. 

The morning of the funeral I suddenly felt that I probably shouldn't wear that coat. I thought it wasn't respectful look for attending a funeral (never mind that I was wearing a black dress + shoes, and a dark cardi, and were he alive my Grandpa would not have cared in the least!), and I didn't want to feel like I was standing out. We were in a rush so I went to my parent's coat closet and grabbed my old navy blue pea coat from high school. Once we were in the car I realized it had a large amount of mud rubbed on it and the lining inside was torn. Suffice it to say I did not feel great wearing that at all.  

To think I thought my white coat was not subdued enough, so instead I wore a muddy, torn coat to my Grandpa's funeral. I chose poorly.

I probably could go on and on about times in my life I haven't felt great about what I was wearing in situations where I had complete control over how I dressed and what items of clothing I placed in my closet!

I think I can pin my sartorial issues down to this:

                         

via

Truth.

And something I know a lot of people voice, which is: impulse buying/ not putting enough thought into what your wardrobe needs. 

Incidentally, two books I've read recently (this and this) and this Verily article all highly encourage dressing well in your own personal style. A much needed boost for me!

The past several months I've really been trying to only buy clothing I REALLY like- that has always been an ongoing process but I think I'm getting better at it! It finally dawned on me that I won't be "saving" outfits if everything in my closet is something I want to wear. 

Along with that, if I need something, like a white top, I try to think about what exactly I want that top to be (more fitted, loose, v-neck, collared, etc.) and then be super picky when I'm searching for it. It's not always easy to say no over and over but the final outcome is better that way, I think. Praying has been fruitful too- asking God for help finding "x" for myself or the girls on the cheap, and so often He has provided. Often there's a wait but waiting helps me determine how much I like the idea of what I'm looking for- if that makes sense.

I'm not sure if it's information overload or what but power-house, fashion-minded blogs I used to regularly follow aren't my thing any more. I reached a point where hearing about the latest clothing trends and where to buy them from multiple different sources felt overwhelming. I've decided I like what I like! :) (There's still a handful of fashion-y blogs that I follow whose content I really enjoy reading and whose lives I like to hear about.)

Since we have two family weddings coming up in the new year I've been looking for a LBD and just bought this one (less than $20! and also comes in a million other colors and prints). The fit is great and I'm hoping to get lots of use out of it.

 A funny aside- Tim commented on the middle cardigan above when I was last wearing it and I told him I found it at a Goodwill.
Tim: "It looks kinda clean for Goodwill..."
Haha, Goodwills are definitely some of the cleaner thrift shops I've been in!

Here's to getting dressed on insignificant days. :)

Halloweekend

Last Saturday we attended the annual kids' Halloween party the Knights at our parish host.
 

The girls enjoyed the crafts and games and did most of them themselves! I feel like we've turned an autonomy corner for events like these; sitting and watching was a nice change of pace. :)

We had a fairy, Cinderella, and Belle, and Evie decided to go dressed as a mom. :) I think my favorite part about her ensemble was the "mom" items she put in her wallet: library card, chapstick, and money. 

 At one point Cora wandered off and I eyed her standing in front of several of the Knights, staring at them as they talked to her. #toddlerlyfe

On Halloween we had dinner at my parents' and went trick-or-treating with cousins.

 Elena of Avalor, Elsa, an artic girl, a bunny, pumpkin, and Princess Anna (not pictured: Princess Isabel)

It was a fun evening with lots of good sugary loot! The girls don't get out much after dark, so they kept commenting on the moon and stars, which gave me a chuckle.

The next day Evie had a saint project due for which she chose St. John the Evangelist. They made the "saints" out of paper towel rolls, and then had to bring in small artifacts that represented parts of their story to present to the class- I thought that was a cute idea!

On All Souls' Day Audrey mentioned a few times how excited she was to go to the cemetery. I eventually asked her what she remembered being so exciting to which she replied, "hide-and-go-seek and things". I had to burst her bubble that that was not going to be on our agenda while praying for the Poor Souls...

And on a completely unrelated note: I have found my very favorite La Croix flavor to date- Blackberry Cucumber!

Hope the rest of your weekend is swell!